Sunday, April 26, 2009

Tempting Eve & Naked Women in Dallas

Several years ago a scandal erupted here in Texas that became national news, of the snicker at something goofy in Texas genre. There was this nice little town north of Dallas called Pilot Point, a town that had attracted some creative artist sorts. The town also had its fair share of very prudish sorts. The two sorts went into conflict mode when the town's police and mayor gave an artist who had painted a mural of Eve being tempted with an apple, by God, a deadline to cover Eve's bare breasts. Or else.

Soon after that scandal erupted I was at Fair Park in Dallas and saw the statue in front of the Women's Museum and noticed she wasn't wearing much clothing. It struck me as ironic that no one was concerned about this work of art, with demands to cover her breasts, while a few miles north bare breasts were unsettling some people.

This morning I got the funniest feedback in a long time, from Jane Doe, all in high umbrage mode over what she felt were tacky, ignorant, arrogant, remarks, on my part, regarding that statue in front of the Women's Museum. I'm impressed Jane Doe could whip up so much agitation over this.

I found your comments regarding the Women’s Museum in the Dallas State Fair Grounds to be very tacky, ignorant, and arrogant. For generations women have been excluded from history books, professional careers, and politics. Gender prejudice has been prevalent throughout our country’s history and despite this; many women have prevailed in their strength and courage. Although in the last century women have gained many rights and liberties, they still hold minority in government, executive positions, and world affairs. According to the 2007 US Census Bureau, women with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher earned on average 73% of the earnings of men with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher.

In response to your tacky comment regarding the statue near the front of the museum, I believe that your need to take a moment to review the characteristics of the world’s masterpieces before making such an arrogant statement. David by Michael Angelo is one of the most renowned masterpieces in our world’s art history. The statue stands 424 cm high and is an image of a young, unclothed male. The image is considered a tribute to masculinity and biblical history. The young male statue stands completely exposed, with his genital area in clear view. People do not view this statue with cheap eyes and no one considers this statue to be a homage to the world’s population of male exotic dancers (or rather “stripper” in you uneducated literary language).

All this considered, I think it only appropriate that we appreciate the under acknowledged heroines of our nation, and admire them for both their intellectual and spiritual beauty. I am very saddened to encounter an individual as narrow-minded as you. I hope that you find the courage to expand your horizons and open your heart to new areas of growth. As President Obama said, “I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.”